Arch Linux

Enrico1989

Member

Registered: 2018-07-05

Posts: 406

How do I have my ranger config files updated?

I've just realized that my $HOME/.config/ranger/rifle.conf (most likely together with other files in the same dir) is outdate with respect to what I see on https://github.com/ranger/ranger or even in my $HOME/AURbuilds/ranger-git/src/ranger-git/ (I use ranger from the AUR).

Clearly I could manually copy-paste the updated config files from that latter directory to the former, but then I'd have to remember to do it periodically (beside having to remember to update AUR-installed packages, ahah).

I also see that I could make $HOME/.config/ranger/rifle.conf actually a symbolic link to the corresponding file under $HOME/AURbuilds/ranger-git/src/ranger-git/.

What is the recommended way to keep my local config files for ranger in sync with the package updates?

I have used in the past ranger from the official repo instead of the AUR, but I honestly don't remember if the files under $HOME/.config/ranger/ where overwritten or what, when I'd update ranger via pacman.

(Clearly, the question could apply to packages other than ranger, ...)

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 19,018

Re: How do I have my ranger config files updated?

I have used in the past ranger from the official repo instead of the AUR, but I honestly don't remember if the files under $HOME/.config/ranger/ where overwritten or what, when I'd update ranger via pacman.

No package should ever install files to $HOME. See Arch package guidelines Directories.

Enrico1989

Member

Registered: 2018-07-05

Posts: 406

Re: How do I have my ranger config files updated?

I have used in the past ranger from the official repo instead of the AUR, but I honestly don't remember if the files under $HOME/.config/ranger/ where overwritten or what, when I'd update ranger via pacman.

No package should ever install files to $HOME. See Arch package guidelines Directories.

Thanks for the info!

There seem to be no config around in my system:

$ sudo find / -name 'ranger' ! -regex '^/home/.*' -type d

find: ‘/run/user/1000/doc’: Permission denied
find: ‘/run/user/1000/gvfs’: Permission denied
/usr/share/licenses/ranger
/usr/share/doc/ranger
/usr/lib/python3.14/site-packages/ranger
/root/.config/ranger
/root/.local/share/ranger

After all, the very ranger project suggests copying the config from their dir to ~/.config/ranger; I suppose that's what I did, and therefore the burden is on my to keep those update.

I guess the symbolic link is the best approach to stop worrying about updating those config files, as long as I don't customize them.

Enrico1989

Member

Registered: 2018-07-05

Posts: 406

Re: How do I have my ranger config files updated?

/root/.config/ranger
/root/.local/share/ranger

Well, actually those 2 are ranger-related. But they're mostly empty. I wonder if they got created some time I might have run ranger as root…

I guess I can delete them, no?

Lone_Wolf

Administrator

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 15,356

Re: How do I have my ranger config files updated?

Yes, they'll be recreated when necessary.

I also see that I could make $HOME/.config/ranger/rifle.conf actually a symbolic link to the corresponding file under $HOME/AURbuilds/ranger-git/src/ranger-git/.

Don't do that as those files can change without warning when you build (not install) a new version .
link to wherever the ranger package puts those files at installation time.

---

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Try clean chroot manager by graysky

Enrico1989

Member

Registered: 2018-07-05

Posts: 406

Re: How do I have my ranger config files updated?

Don't do that as those files can change without warning when you build (not install) a new version.

Ok…

link to wherever the ranger package puts those files at installation time.

If "ranger package puts those files" at location, it still means it will overwrite my copies, if put them there, no?

As in, where's the difference between the two approaches?

Last edited by Enrico1989 (Today 10:28:42)